Learning Pipe Winterization: 5 Key Hacks to Use in Frigid Temperatures
Learning Pipe Winterization: 5 Key Hacks to Use in Frigid Temperatures
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Just how do you actually feel when it comes to Winterizing Your Pipes?
All property owners who live in temperate climates have to do their ideal to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can mean catastrophe like frozen, broken, or burst pipelines.
Activate the Faucets
When the temperature drops and it seems as if the freezing temperature will certainly last, it will aid to transform on your water both indoors and also outdoors. This will certainly keep the water moving via your plumbing systems. You'll end up wasting gallons of water this means.
Open Cabinet Doors Hiding Plumbing
When it's chilly outside, it would certainly be practical to open cupboard doors that are concealing your pipelines. For instance, they could be somewhere in your cooking area or shower room. This will permit the cozy air from your heating unit to distribute there. Consequently, you protect against these revealed pipelines from cold. Doing this tiny technique can maintain your pipes cozy and restrict the possibly harmful outcomes of freezing temperature levels.
Take Time to Wrap Exposed Pipeline
One easy and also clever hack to warm up frigid pipelines is to cover them with cozy towels. You can also make use of pre-soaked towels in hot water, just do not forget to put on safety handwear covers to guard your hands from the warm.
Try a Hair Dryer or Warm Gun
When your pipes are almost freezing, your dependable hair dryer or warmth weapon is a godsend. If the hot towels do not assist displace any type of settling ice in your pipes, bowling hot air straight right into them may assist. Do not use various other objects that produce direct flames like a blow lantern. This can cause a bigger catastrophe that you can not control. You may end up harmful your pipelines while trying to melt the ice. And also over time, you may even end up shedding your house. So be cautious!
Shut Off Water When Pipes are Frozen
Switch off the main water valve instantly if you observe that your pipelines are completely frozen or nearly nearing that stage. You will usually find this in your basement or laundry room near the heating unit or the front wall closest to the street. Turn it off today to stop additional damage.
Don't neglect to shut external water resources, as well, such as your hookup for the yard home. Doing this will certainly protect against extra water from filling up your plumbing system. Unfortunately, with more water, even more ice will accumulate, which will ultimately result in burst pipes. It is best to call an expert plumber for an examination if you are uncertain concerning the state of your pipes this winter. Taking this proactive method can conserve you countless dollars in repairs.
All home owners that live in warm climates must do their ideal to winterize their pipelines. Failing to do so can mean calamity like icy, cracked, or burst pipes. If the hot towels do not assist remove any type of clearing up ice in your pipes, bowling hot air directly into them may aid. Transform off the main water shutoff instantly if you notice that your pipes are completely frozen or almost nearing that stage. With even more water, more ice will pile up, which will ultimately lead to break pipes.
Planning Ahead for Winter Plumbing!
Given how the weather has been recently here in Kansas City, it may not seem like it, but the truth is winter is quickly approaching. As we near the end of September, it is never a bad idea to start considering which areas of your home could use some preventative maintenance heading into the colder months, as well as what you should remember to do once the colder temps settle in. And considering your plumbing system can certainly be impacted by changing weather conditions, guess what we’ll be talking about today?
For those that are visiting our blog for the very first time, welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing. Here on the blog, we post weekly about various aspects of the plumbing world. Whether that be DIY tips, brand highlights or anything else, they’re all designed to make homeowners more knowledgeable about their plumbing systems. Believe it or not, even just some general knowledge about one’s plumbing can go a long way in preventing unneeded repairs and keeping everything running smoothly. As referenced in the previous paragraph, this week’s blog will walk through a few of the steps you can do to your own plumbing system to ensure you’re ready to go for the upcoming winter weather and tips for keeping it all in working order as the winter carries on. Let’s hop right in!
Disconnect Hoses
You’ve likely heard this one on multiple occasions, but it is certainly something worth mentioning. Make sure to disconnect any and all outdoor hoses and then turn off those outdoor faucets at the shut-off. The logic behind this is probably something you would have learned in a grade school science class. When water freezes, it expands. Thus, due to this, it’s going to occupy more space. And if there’s no space to occupy, trouble ensues. It’s as simple as that!
Long story short, if you have room to store them indoors, do so. If not, just be sure to completely drain them and then store them in a dry area, such as the garage or a shed. Failure to disconnect the hoses can easily result in frozen/bursting pipes and plumbing headaches for you, especially if there is still water sitting in the hose! Do yourself a favor and disconnect your hoses once you know you won’t be using them anymore for that season. It’s a quick-and-easy step that’s always worth the time.
Headed Out of Town?
Our next point will likely get more and more relevant as we get into the holiday season. Do you remember the extreme arctic blast that hit the Kansas City area in February of 2021? Sub-zero temps, frigid wind chills, it was definitely not the funnest of times for KC residents. Nonetheless, here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, it’s safe to say our technicians were quite busy dealing with frozen/bursting pipes. What I’m hinting at here is that you never know when we’ll experience extremely cold temperatures. So if you’re going to be out of town for a little bit, it’s never a bad idea to turn off your water at the main shut-off valve. While this won’t prevent every possible plumbing issue, it will at least limit the damage if something bad were to occur. Especially if you don’t have a family member or friend that’ll be checking on your home while you’re away, make sure to keep this tip in mind!
By the way, it may sound like a no-brainer to most, but if you are headed out of town, make sure to also keep the heat on inside while away. You will have some added energy costs from heating a home while nobody’s there, but if it prevents you from dealing with a plumbing emergency, it’s well worth it!
Leave Cabinet Doors Open
As you may start to notice, the primary winter plumbing problem that you need to be mindful of involves pipes freezing. Whether it be indoors or outdoors, they can freeze for a few different reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of various tactics you can implement to improve your odds of keeping everything in working order. Yet another one of these that you’ve likely heard before is leaving the cabinet doors under your bathroom or kitchen sink open. Will this provide complete protection? Not necessarily. However, this is an easy way to make sure some of the heat in your home is reaching those pipes that aren’t insulated under your sinks.
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